After having purchased some wonderful stamps on eBay
from the Republic of Tuva (Tannu
Tuva) I
became rather interested in this fascinating region. Tannu
Tuva is an amazing region that is
located in the Tannu Mountains on
the Siberian border in northwestern
Mongolia. Specifically it is a
170,000 sq. km region between modern
Mongolia and the former USSR.

Tuva
encompasses 64,000 square miles and
a population of 308,000. The first
postage stamps were issued in 1926.
Many colourful stamps were issued
from 1926 to 1943 and provide a
unique pictorial opportunity to
observe the lifestyle, landscape and
animal life of Tuva during that
period of their history.

This
is an incredibly beautiful land with
every kind of environment from
Siberian Cold to Gobi-Dessert
Heat...mountain and plain. Tuvans
(or Tuvinians), a group of Turkic
people, make up about two thirds of
the population. The
Nomads of Tuva have a unique singing
technique where they can sing more
than one note at the same time...it
takes a bit of getting used to but
is quite beautiful and addictive
once you've heard it. This
incredibly beautiful land was the
site of the first domestication of
animals (reindeer), has an
incredible variety of environments,
and fielded many warriors in the age
of the Khans.

Tuvan HistoryThe historic
region of Tannu Uriankhai, which
Tuva is part of, was controlled by
the Mongols from the 13th to 18th
centuries. From 1757 to 1911 it was
under Chinese Manchu rule. During
the 19th century Russians began to
settle in Tuva, resulting in an 1860
Chinese-Russian treaty, in which
China allowed Russians to settle
providing that they lived in boats
or tents. In 1881 Russians were
allowed to live in permanent
buildings. By that time a sizeable
Russian community had been
established, whose affairs were
managed by an official in Russia
(these officials also settled
disputes and checked on Tuvan
chiefs). Russian interests in Tuva
continued into the 20th century.

During the 1911 revolution in China,
tsarist Russia fomented a separatist
movement among the Tuvans. Tsar
Nicholas II ordered Russian troops
into Tuva in 1912, as Russian
settlers were being attacked. Tuva
became nominally independent before
being made a Russian protectorate in
1914. This move was apparently
requested by a number of prominent
Tuvans, including the High Lama,
though it is possible they were
actually acting under the coercion
of Russian soldiers. A capital was
established, called Belotsarsk (Белоца́рск;
literally, "Town of White Tsar").
Meanwhile, in 1911, Mongolia became
independent, though under Russian
protection.

Following the Russian Revolution of
1917, Communist troops took Tuva in
January of 1920. On August 14, 1921
the Bolsheviks (supported by Russia)
established a Tuvinian People's
Republic, popularly called
Tannu-Tuva. In 1926, the capital (Belotsarsk;
Khem-Beldyr since 1918) was renamed
Kyzyl (meaning "Red"). However, Tuva
was still an independent state
between the World Wars.

The USSR annexed Tuva outright in
1944, apparently with the approval
of Tuva's Little Khural
(parliament), though there was no
Tuva-wide vote on the issue. Salchak
Toka, the leader of Tuvan
communists, was given the title of
First Secretary of the Tuvan
Communist Party and became a
de-facto ruler of Tuva. Tuva was
made the Tuvan Autonomous Oblast and
then became the Tuva ASSR on October
10, 1961. Toka's rule was
characterized by a concerted effort
to introduce collectivism and to
destroy Tuvan culture, especially
that of a religious nature. Salchak
Toka died in 1973.

In February of 1990, the Tuvan
Democratic Movement was founded by
Kaadyr-ool Bicheldei, a philologist
at Kyzyl University. The party aimed
to provide jobs and housing (both
were in short supply), and also to
improve the status of Tuvan language
and culture. Later on in the year
there was a wave of attacks against
Tuva's sizeable Russian community,
resulting in 88 deaths. Russian
troops eventually were called in.
Many Russians moved out of the
republic during this period.

Tuva was a signatory to the March
31, 1992 treaty that created the
Russian Federation. A new
constitution for the republic was
drawn up on October 22, 1993. This
created a 32-member parliament
(Supreme Khural) and a Grand Khural,
which is responsible for foreign
policy, ensuring that Tuvan law is
given precedence and any possible
changes to the constitution. The
constitution also allowed for a
referendum if Tyva ever sought
independence. This constitution was
passed by 62.2% of Tuvans in a
referendum on December 12, 1993. At
the same time the official name was
changed from Tuva (Тува) to Tyva (Тыва).

The Republic of China has never
officially recognized the Russian
claim, and maps made in Taiwan have
often included Tuva (along with
Outer Mongolia) as part of China.
This claim, along with the Taiwanese
claim to mainland China, has been
largely ignored since the early
1990s.

Tuva
Stamp Album Pages
I have made a start at producing Tuva stamp album
pages, for all stamps issued from 1926-1943: SG#1 to SG#137.
These pages will match all others in
the Ruskystamps album - ideal 'Back
of Book' pages. I cannot promise at
the moment when these will be
finished, but some day!